Health groups in Hong Kong on Monday called for a sharp rise in tobacco duty as a study revealed cigarettes in the city are among the cheapest in the developed world.
Buying 1 000 cigarettes of one brand in Hong Kong costs just 217 US dollars (about R1 673) compared to 409 US dollars in New York and 503 US dollars in London.
Those cigarettes would also cost significantly more in Melbourne (277 US dollars), Singapore (361 US dollars), Paris (361 US dollars) and Dublin (577 US dollars), the survey found.
The study by health groups in Hong Kong was released ahead of Wednesday's budget when financial secretary John Tsang is under pressure to push up the price of cigarettes in the city of 7-million.An open letter to the Hong Kong government signed by health advocates including World Health Organization advisor Judith Mackay says a 10 percent price rise could save thousands of lives.
"There are about 750 000 smokers in Hong Kong," the letter said. "One in two smokers is killed by disease caused by tobacco. Each 10 percent rise in price will prevent at least 18 000 deaths.
"Effective taxation must be 75 to 80 percent of the retail price (of cigarettes) whereas currently in Hong Kong, it is only between 61 and 66 percent."
Smoking in bars and restaurants and many public places in Hong Kong was banned from January 2007 although a powerful lobby group won temporary exemptions to the ban for many venues.
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понедельник, 22 февраля 2010 г.
понедельник, 15 февраля 2010 г.
Creek smokeshops still selling disputed cigarettes
After telling a federal court that it would stop supplying its affiliated smokeshops with controversial cigarettes, the Muscogee Creek Nation is allowing the stores to seek and stock the cigarettes on their own, a World investigation shows.
The Oklahoma Tax Commission seized 77 cases of Seneca brand cigarettes Wednesday, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in Tulsa County District Court.
The cigarettes were headed to Riverside Smokeshop in Tulsa and had a value of $103,000 once sold to the public, said Paula Ross, a Tax Commission spokeswoman.
Karen Goodson, the manager of Riverside Smokeshop, said the seizure should ot have occurred.
"It is a sovereignty issue that needs to be decided by the court once and for all," Goodson said.
In January, the Creek Nation temporarily suspended distribution of Seneca brand cigarettes through its wholesale company in Okmulgee pending the outcome of an injunction filed in U.S. Eastern District Court in Muskogee, records show. The suspension also includes King Mountain cigarettes manufactured in Washington state by a tribal entity. Seneca is manufactured in Canada, also by a tribal entity.
The cigarette seizure is part of the state's ongoing pressure to force the Creek Nation to sign a tobacco compact or face further confiscation of unapproved cigarettes, records show. The conflict began in 2005 when the Creek Nation opted out of renewing its compact because of alleged unfair negotiation practices by the state.
Meanwhile, the Indian-based company that sold the cigarettes to the Riverside store said the cigarettes were sold with the knowledge of the Creek Nation.
"It is my hunch that the smokeshop was acting under the licensure of the tribe and with full knowledge of the tribe," said Lance Morgan, CEO of HCI Distribution, an economic development corporation of the Winnebago Tribe in Nebraska.
Morgan said that the Muscogee Creek nation had a temporary license with HCI, which expired Friday.
Creek Nation spokesman Thompson Gouge said the tribe could not comment on the cigarette seizure or the tribe's suspension on stockpiling Seneca or similar cigarettes.
Tax commission officials contend that Seneca and King Mountain cigarettes are contraband smokes not listed on the state's approved list of cigarette brands sold in Oklahoma. The cigarettes are competing heavily with other discount brands and allegedly bleeding off millions of dollars of tax revenues intended for health initiatives and smoking-cessation programs. The cigarettes are being sold by Creek-affiliated stores without an Oklahoma tax stamp.
Tribal officials contend that they can provide such cigarettes without paying taxes to Oklahoma because the cigarettes are tribal-to-tribal sales that are exempt from state taxation.
Four weeks after the tribe temporarily suspended stocking the cigarettes for its affiliated stores, the World purchased packs of Seneca at three Creek-affiliated stores in Sapulpa, Glenpool and Tulsa. King Mountain cigarettes were not available.
King Mountain officials said they could not comment on the absence of their cigarettes in the Tulsa area.
Two additional stores visited by the World did not sell the cigarettes. In the past, most of the Creek-affiliated stores within the Tulsa area have refused to sell the cigarettes, saying they are "illegal" when asked why they don't sell them.
Meanwhile, area smokeshops appear to be fully complying with a new state law that requires retailers to sell cigarettes that inhibit accidental fires.
Of the cigarettes recently purchased by the World, all of the packs, including contraband brands, had fire-safe paper. The paper involves tiny bands within the paper that act like speed bumps while the cigarette is burning.
Records by the Tulsa Fire Department reveal that cigarettes were the No. 1 heat source for fatality fires in Tulsa during the past seven years.
Between 2001 and 2008, 59 people lost their lives to fires caused by cigarettes or smoking material.
Capt. Jeff Vandolah of the Tulsa Fire Department said it is too early to determine if fire-safe paper is decreasing the number of accidental fires.
The new state law requires cigarettes to be sold with "fire-safe" cigarette paper, which allows the cigarette to extinguish itself if it is left unattended.
The law took effect Jan. 1, 2009, but to delay the law's effect, several area smoke shops reportedly were selling old inventory bought before the law took effect and were allowed to sell old inventory until Jan. 1, 2010.
In October, 10 months after the law took effect, the World bought several packs of discount-brand cigarettes without fire-safe paper at smoke shops. The tribal stores stated the stock was old stock bought before the law took effect.
The Oklahoma Tax Commission seized 77 cases of Seneca brand cigarettes Wednesday, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in Tulsa County District Court.
The cigarettes were headed to Riverside Smokeshop in Tulsa and had a value of $103,000 once sold to the public, said Paula Ross, a Tax Commission spokeswoman.
Karen Goodson, the manager of Riverside Smokeshop, said the seizure should ot have occurred.
"It is a sovereignty issue that needs to be decided by the court once and for all," Goodson said.
In January, the Creek Nation temporarily suspended distribution of Seneca brand cigarettes through its wholesale company in Okmulgee pending the outcome of an injunction filed in U.S. Eastern District Court in Muskogee, records show. The suspension also includes King Mountain cigarettes manufactured in Washington state by a tribal entity. Seneca is manufactured in Canada, also by a tribal entity.
The cigarette seizure is part of the state's ongoing pressure to force the Creek Nation to sign a tobacco compact or face further confiscation of unapproved cigarettes, records show. The conflict began in 2005 when the Creek Nation opted out of renewing its compact because of alleged unfair negotiation practices by the state.
Meanwhile, the Indian-based company that sold the cigarettes to the Riverside store said the cigarettes were sold with the knowledge of the Creek Nation.
"It is my hunch that the smokeshop was acting under the licensure of the tribe and with full knowledge of the tribe," said Lance Morgan, CEO of HCI Distribution, an economic development corporation of the Winnebago Tribe in Nebraska.
Morgan said that the Muscogee Creek nation had a temporary license with HCI, which expired Friday.
Creek Nation spokesman Thompson Gouge said the tribe could not comment on the cigarette seizure or the tribe's suspension on stockpiling Seneca or similar cigarettes.
Tax commission officials contend that Seneca and King Mountain cigarettes are contraband smokes not listed on the state's approved list of cigarette brands sold in Oklahoma. The cigarettes are competing heavily with other discount brands and allegedly bleeding off millions of dollars of tax revenues intended for health initiatives and smoking-cessation programs. The cigarettes are being sold by Creek-affiliated stores without an Oklahoma tax stamp.
Tribal officials contend that they can provide such cigarettes without paying taxes to Oklahoma because the cigarettes are tribal-to-tribal sales that are exempt from state taxation.
Four weeks after the tribe temporarily suspended stocking the cigarettes for its affiliated stores, the World purchased packs of Seneca at three Creek-affiliated stores in Sapulpa, Glenpool and Tulsa. King Mountain cigarettes were not available.
King Mountain officials said they could not comment on the absence of their cigarettes in the Tulsa area.
Two additional stores visited by the World did not sell the cigarettes. In the past, most of the Creek-affiliated stores within the Tulsa area have refused to sell the cigarettes, saying they are "illegal" when asked why they don't sell them.
Meanwhile, area smokeshops appear to be fully complying with a new state law that requires retailers to sell cigarettes that inhibit accidental fires.
Of the cigarettes recently purchased by the World, all of the packs, including contraband brands, had fire-safe paper. The paper involves tiny bands within the paper that act like speed bumps while the cigarette is burning.
Records by the Tulsa Fire Department reveal that cigarettes were the No. 1 heat source for fatality fires in Tulsa during the past seven years.
Between 2001 and 2008, 59 people lost their lives to fires caused by cigarettes or smoking material.
Capt. Jeff Vandolah of the Tulsa Fire Department said it is too early to determine if fire-safe paper is decreasing the number of accidental fires.
The new state law requires cigarettes to be sold with "fire-safe" cigarette paper, which allows the cigarette to extinguish itself if it is left unattended.
The law took effect Jan. 1, 2009, but to delay the law's effect, several area smoke shops reportedly were selling old inventory bought before the law took effect and were allowed to sell old inventory until Jan. 1, 2010.
In October, 10 months after the law took effect, the World bought several packs of discount-brand cigarettes without fire-safe paper at smoke shops. The tribal stores stated the stock was old stock bought before the law took effect.
пятница, 12 февраля 2010 г.
Anti-smoking group says cigarette tax hike would ease state budget woes
A bigger tax on cigarettes could be the answer to South Dakota's budget shortfall, according to a new report.
Released by a coalition of public health organizations, including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the report suggests that by raising the cigarette tax by $1 per pack, South Dakota would collect $15.4 million more annually, while at the same time prompting more smokers to quit.
"This report shows that raising tobacco taxes is truly a win-win-win for South Dakota ...," said Matthew L. Meyers, president of Tobacco-Free Kids.
But John Boyd, owner of the Deadwood Tobacco Company in Deadwood, isn't buying the new report.
"Anything times zero is zero," he said.
Boyd said the argument that an increased tax can both raise money for the state and reduce the number of smokers is nonsensical.
"If you reduce the number of smokers, where do you get your money," he said. "If that's your intent to reduce smoking, then you're not getting the taxes."
About 20 percent of South Dakotans smoke, including 24.7 percent of the state's high school students, according to the South Dakota Department of Health. South Dakota's current cigarette tax is $1.53 per pack. The national average is $1.34.
The new report details both the revenue and health benefits of a $1 a pack tax increase, by state.
In South Dakota, the increase would save $145 million in health care costs and save 2,900 residents from premature smoking-related deaths. It would prevent 6,000 kids from becoming smokers and encourage 3,100 adult smokers to give up the habit, according to the report.
A national poll released along with the report found that 67 percent of voters support a $1 tobacco tax over other options, such as an income tax, gasoline or sales tax increase.
Boyd said a national survey doesn't give a fair look at the state.
"If it's a nationwide study; nationwide doesn't have anything to do with South Dakota," he said. "It's a skewed survey."
Boyd believes that another increase in cigarette taxes will only push people to buy their cigarettes in bordering states or online. Either way, it will mean less revenue for the state.
"If they think that it's going to make people quit; then they're going to lose revenue shares," Boyd said. "South Dakota will lose huge revenues."
Released by a coalition of public health organizations, including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the report suggests that by raising the cigarette tax by $1 per pack, South Dakota would collect $15.4 million more annually, while at the same time prompting more smokers to quit.
"This report shows that raising tobacco taxes is truly a win-win-win for South Dakota ...," said Matthew L. Meyers, president of Tobacco-Free Kids.
But John Boyd, owner of the Deadwood Tobacco Company in Deadwood, isn't buying the new report.
"Anything times zero is zero," he said.
Boyd said the argument that an increased tax can both raise money for the state and reduce the number of smokers is nonsensical.
"If you reduce the number of smokers, where do you get your money," he said. "If that's your intent to reduce smoking, then you're not getting the taxes."
About 20 percent of South Dakotans smoke, including 24.7 percent of the state's high school students, according to the South Dakota Department of Health. South Dakota's current cigarette tax is $1.53 per pack. The national average is $1.34.
The new report details both the revenue and health benefits of a $1 a pack tax increase, by state.
In South Dakota, the increase would save $145 million in health care costs and save 2,900 residents from premature smoking-related deaths. It would prevent 6,000 kids from becoming smokers and encourage 3,100 adult smokers to give up the habit, according to the report.
A national poll released along with the report found that 67 percent of voters support a $1 tobacco tax over other options, such as an income tax, gasoline or sales tax increase.
Boyd said a national survey doesn't give a fair look at the state.
"If it's a nationwide study; nationwide doesn't have anything to do with South Dakota," he said. "It's a skewed survey."
Boyd believes that another increase in cigarette taxes will only push people to buy their cigarettes in bordering states or online. Either way, it will mean less revenue for the state.
"If they think that it's going to make people quit; then they're going to lose revenue shares," Boyd said. "South Dakota will lose huge revenues."
понедельник, 11 января 2010 г.
Philip Morris targets S.F.'s cigarette fee
In what has become a familiar scenario, Philip Morris USA has filed a complaint in San Francisco Superior Court over the city's new 20-cent fee tacked onto packs of cigarettes.
The move likely foreshadows a lawsuit - the second time in 18 months the tobacco giant will have sued San Francisco over its cutting-edge cigarette policies. The company said the city's first-of-its-kind ban on cigarette sales in drug stores including Walgreens violated its constitutional rights to advertise its products, but its claim was rejected in court.
Now, Philip Morris and some local retailers say the city's 20-cent charge on cigarette packs, the brainchild of Mayor Gavin Newsom that was implemented Oct. 1, violates state law because voters didn't approve it. The city argues that since it's a fee, rather than a tax, voter approval isn't required.
Newsom said the city completed an extensive study showing that it costs San Francisco $7.5 million every year to clean up cigarette butts tossed onto city streets - and that smokers should be the ones picking up the tab.
"Twenty cents a pack - that's what it costs us," Newsom said of the clean-up, adding he wasn't surprised by Philip Morris' complaint. "We anticipated this. I think they'll lose. They lose most of their lawsuits."
Newsom has long said he believes chewing gum is the real culprit when it comes to littering the city's streets, but he's not ready to levy a fee on packs of gum. Even in open-minded San Francisco, that would likely be a real, um, sticky situation.
The move likely foreshadows a lawsuit - the second time in 18 months the tobacco giant will have sued San Francisco over its cutting-edge cigarette policies. The company said the city's first-of-its-kind ban on cigarette sales in drug stores including Walgreens violated its constitutional rights to advertise its products, but its claim was rejected in court.
Now, Philip Morris and some local retailers say the city's 20-cent charge on cigarette packs, the brainchild of Mayor Gavin Newsom that was implemented Oct. 1, violates state law because voters didn't approve it. The city argues that since it's a fee, rather than a tax, voter approval isn't required.
Newsom said the city completed an extensive study showing that it costs San Francisco $7.5 million every year to clean up cigarette butts tossed onto city streets - and that smokers should be the ones picking up the tab.
"Twenty cents a pack - that's what it costs us," Newsom said of the clean-up, adding he wasn't surprised by Philip Morris' complaint. "We anticipated this. I think they'll lose. They lose most of their lawsuits."
Newsom has long said he believes chewing gum is the real culprit when it comes to littering the city's streets, but he's not ready to levy a fee on packs of gum. Even in open-minded San Francisco, that would likely be a real, um, sticky situation.
пятница, 18 декабря 2009 г.
Kentucky's Love-Hate Relationship with Tobacco
Much-needed money continues to flow into Kentucky's state treasury from cigarette taxes and the 1998 tobacco settlement, but a new study shows very little of it is being used to keep adults and young people from lighting up. The report, titled, A Broken Promise to Our Children, studies what states do with tobacco settlement money and the taxes on cigarettes. This year, Kentucky collected $383 million combined, while ranking only 40th in funding programs to keep kids away from tobacco.
Tonya Chang, advocacy director with the American Heart Association in Kentucky, says the state is far behind.
"The Center for Disease Control recommends that Kentucky spend almost $60 million a year, and we don't even spend four million dollars a year, so we're falling drastically short of protecting kids from the danger of tobacco."
Keeping children off the tobacco road also starts with getting their parents to kick the habit, says Chang.
"If you grow up in a smoking home, you're much more likely to smoke, and second to that, if you are in a smoking household, if you can get that person to stop smoking, you're protecting their children from secondhand smoke, which is also a big threat in Kentucky."
The state has won some small battles in the war against smoking, she adds.
"In 2005, the cigarette tax was at three cents; we're now up to 60 cents. We've made minimal progress in the adult smoking rate. For years and years and years, we were number-one in smoking, and this year, new data came out and we are down to number three."
The same study estimates that tobacco companies spend well over $400 million a year marketing their products in the commonwealth. It's also estimated that each year, 5,700 Kentucky children become regular tobacco users and the state spends $1.5 billion for health care related to smoking.
Tonya Chang, advocacy director with the American Heart Association in Kentucky, says the state is far behind.
"The Center for Disease Control recommends that Kentucky spend almost $60 million a year, and we don't even spend four million dollars a year, so we're falling drastically short of protecting kids from the danger of tobacco."
Keeping children off the tobacco road also starts with getting their parents to kick the habit, says Chang.
"If you grow up in a smoking home, you're much more likely to smoke, and second to that, if you are in a smoking household, if you can get that person to stop smoking, you're protecting their children from secondhand smoke, which is also a big threat in Kentucky."
The state has won some small battles in the war against smoking, she adds.
"In 2005, the cigarette tax was at three cents; we're now up to 60 cents. We've made minimal progress in the adult smoking rate. For years and years and years, we were number-one in smoking, and this year, new data came out and we are down to number three."
The same study estimates that tobacco companies spend well over $400 million a year marketing their products in the commonwealth. It's also estimated that each year, 5,700 Kentucky children become regular tobacco users and the state spends $1.5 billion for health care related to smoking.
пятница, 9 октября 2009 г.
Contraband cigarettes make it easier for teens to smoke: Nolan
Contraband cigarettes, which are cheap and easy to find, are a “key reason” the fight against teenage smoking has become more difficult, says Waterloo Region’s chief public health officer.
Dr. Liana Nolan said the percentage of Canadian teenagers who smoke has been declining for years. But over the last couple of years, with contraband cigarettes more available to teens, that decline has slowed down or been reversed.
Across Canada, 12.6 per cent of boys aged 12 to 19 said they smoked daily or occasionally in 2008, a slight increase from the 12.4 per cent in 2007, according to the Canadian Community Health Survey.
Only 10.1 per cent of Canadian girls in the same age group smoked daily or occasionally in 2008. That’s less than the 11.6 per cent who smoked in 2007. But the rate of decline is lower now than it was three years ago.
“We are quite concerned that contraband tobacco is a key reason for that,” Nolan said.
The contraband cigarettes, purchased on reserves such as Six Nations near Brantford, are very cheap because taxes aren’t paid on them. A bag of 200 cigarettes costs about $20. That’s a dime per cigarette.
And teenagers “are extremely price-sensitive,” Nolan said. “If it’s inexpensive and easily accessed, they will take it up.”
Contraband refers to any tobacco product that doesn’t comply with federal and provincial statues, including such things as importation, stamping, marking and paying the proper duties and taxes.
A study earlier this year of discarded cigarette butts found around high schools in Kitchener and Waterloo indicates that 23 per cent of them were contraband. That’s nearly one in four.
Local teens say they buy or are given the cigarettes by friends who buy them at the reserve.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police say 50 million cartons of cigarettes a year are manufactured in factories at the Akwesasne reserve near Cornwall, which straddles the U.S.-Canada border. Nine out of 10 of those factories are unlicensed by the U.S. federal government.
The cigarettes are taken by boat across the St. Lawrence River, where there are no federal officials to inspect them. Once in Canada, they’re taken to places such as the Six Nations reserve.
Nolan says it’s important to stop the illegal sale and distribution of these cigarettes so teenagers have less access to harmful tobacco. That’s where the energy of federal and provincial governments should be focused.
She doesn’t agree with some other anti-smoking activists, who think it should be illegal to smoke cigarettes if you’re under 19. Currently, it’s illegal to sell or give tobacco to anyone under 19, but not illegal to smoke.
“It wouldn’t be helpful to criminalize smoking,” Nolan said. “It wouldn’t be effective.”
Cigarette smoking caused 15.9 per cent of deaths in Waterloo Region between 2000 and 2004, according to a report presented to regional councillors earlier this year. Tobacco use is the most significant cause of preventable disease and death in Canada.
Dr. Liana Nolan said the percentage of Canadian teenagers who smoke has been declining for years. But over the last couple of years, with contraband cigarettes more available to teens, that decline has slowed down or been reversed.
Across Canada, 12.6 per cent of boys aged 12 to 19 said they smoked daily or occasionally in 2008, a slight increase from the 12.4 per cent in 2007, according to the Canadian Community Health Survey.
Only 10.1 per cent of Canadian girls in the same age group smoked daily or occasionally in 2008. That’s less than the 11.6 per cent who smoked in 2007. But the rate of decline is lower now than it was three years ago.
“We are quite concerned that contraband tobacco is a key reason for that,” Nolan said.
The contraband cigarettes, purchased on reserves such as Six Nations near Brantford, are very cheap because taxes aren’t paid on them. A bag of 200 cigarettes costs about $20. That’s a dime per cigarette.
And teenagers “are extremely price-sensitive,” Nolan said. “If it’s inexpensive and easily accessed, they will take it up.”
Contraband refers to any tobacco product that doesn’t comply with federal and provincial statues, including such things as importation, stamping, marking and paying the proper duties and taxes.
A study earlier this year of discarded cigarette butts found around high schools in Kitchener and Waterloo indicates that 23 per cent of them were contraband. That’s nearly one in four.
Local teens say they buy or are given the cigarettes by friends who buy them at the reserve.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police say 50 million cartons of cigarettes a year are manufactured in factories at the Akwesasne reserve near Cornwall, which straddles the U.S.-Canada border. Nine out of 10 of those factories are unlicensed by the U.S. federal government.
The cigarettes are taken by boat across the St. Lawrence River, where there are no federal officials to inspect them. Once in Canada, they’re taken to places such as the Six Nations reserve.
Nolan says it’s important to stop the illegal sale and distribution of these cigarettes so teenagers have less access to harmful tobacco. That’s where the energy of federal and provincial governments should be focused.
She doesn’t agree with some other anti-smoking activists, who think it should be illegal to smoke cigarettes if you’re under 19. Currently, it’s illegal to sell or give tobacco to anyone under 19, but not illegal to smoke.
“It wouldn’t be helpful to criminalize smoking,” Nolan said. “It wouldn’t be effective.”
Cigarette smoking caused 15.9 per cent of deaths in Waterloo Region between 2000 and 2004, according to a report presented to regional councillors earlier this year. Tobacco use is the most significant cause of preventable disease and death in Canada.
четверг, 3 сентября 2009 г.
$2,500 fine for undeclared cigarettes and alcohol
A Malaysian national was fined $2,500 or in default two months behind bars by the Bandar Seri Begawan Magistrate's Court yesterday after he pleaded guilty to having in possession several uncustomed cigarettes and cans and bottles of alcoholic drinks.
Liew Kim Foo, 28, was found keeping 13 cartons of 'Gudang Garam Surya' cigarette, five cartons of LA light cigarettes, 24 cans of Tiger beer, 48 cans of Carlsberg beer, two bottles of Vat 69, a bottle of 'Kao Liang Chew', a bottle of Chivas Regal and five bottles of 'Smirnoff' Vodka at his rented house in Kampong Mata-Mata.
The defendant who works for a workshop admitted to owning the uncustomed goods estimated to be worth $345.
The defendant paid the fine.
Liew Kim Foo, 28, was found keeping 13 cartons of 'Gudang Garam Surya' cigarette, five cartons of LA light cigarettes, 24 cans of Tiger beer, 48 cans of Carlsberg beer, two bottles of Vat 69, a bottle of 'Kao Liang Chew', a bottle of Chivas Regal and five bottles of 'Smirnoff' Vodka at his rented house in Kampong Mata-Mata.
The defendant who works for a workshop admitted to owning the uncustomed goods estimated to be worth $345.
The defendant paid the fine.
пятница, 21 августа 2009 г.
Kroger sues e-cigarette company, settles with others
SALEM, Ore. (Legal Newsline) - Oregon Attorney General John Kroger on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against a Florida-based "electronic cigarette" company over allegations it targeted children with false health claims.
The lawsuit alleges Smoking Everywhere has marketed its e-cigarettes as safe and harmless, although the company has not provided evidence the products are safe, according to Kroger.
E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vaporized liquid nicotine solution.
"It's my duty to protect the public from products that are falsely advertised as safe," Kroger said.
The state's lawsuit also contends Smoking Everywhere has been marketing its e-cigarettes to minors even though the company claims its products are intended for "adults only."
According to the Food and Drug Administration, tobacco products that are used to get a "buzz" or to quit smoking are considered drugs. Therefore the product manufacturer must submit scientific evidence the product is safe and effective for its intended use.
The state alleges the manufacturer used bubblegum, chocolate and cookies and cream flavored e-cigarettes to attract young users, according to Kroger.
"We're fighting to make sure kids are protected from unapproved gimmicks like e-cigarettes that get them hooked on nicotine," he said.
So far, Oregon is the only state to take legal action against makers of e-cigarettes. Recently, the State settled with three retailers prohibiting them from selling e-cigarettes in the state until they meet state and federal standards.
The State also reached an agreement with Sottera, Inc., and the national distributor NJOY. The agreement temporarily suspends the sale of its products in the state until local and national standards are met, according to Kroger.
Smoking Everywhere refused a similar settlement offer.
The FDA has never approved e-cigarettes.
The lawsuit alleges Smoking Everywhere has marketed its e-cigarettes as safe and harmless, although the company has not provided evidence the products are safe, according to Kroger.
E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vaporized liquid nicotine solution.
"It's my duty to protect the public from products that are falsely advertised as safe," Kroger said.
The state's lawsuit also contends Smoking Everywhere has been marketing its e-cigarettes to minors even though the company claims its products are intended for "adults only."
According to the Food and Drug Administration, tobacco products that are used to get a "buzz" or to quit smoking are considered drugs. Therefore the product manufacturer must submit scientific evidence the product is safe and effective for its intended use.
The state alleges the manufacturer used bubblegum, chocolate and cookies and cream flavored e-cigarettes to attract young users, according to Kroger.
"We're fighting to make sure kids are protected from unapproved gimmicks like e-cigarettes that get them hooked on nicotine," he said.
So far, Oregon is the only state to take legal action against makers of e-cigarettes. Recently, the State settled with three retailers prohibiting them from selling e-cigarettes in the state until they meet state and federal standards.
The State also reached an agreement with Sottera, Inc., and the national distributor NJOY. The agreement temporarily suspends the sale of its products in the state until local and national standards are met, according to Kroger.
Smoking Everywhere refused a similar settlement offer.
The FDA has never approved e-cigarettes.
понедельник, 17 августа 2009 г.
Council of Ministers mandates warning labels on cigarettes
The Council of Ministers approved a sub-decree on Friday that will require health warnings to be printed on the outside of cigarette packages.
Under the presidency of Prime Minister Hun Sen, the council released a statement saying that the purpose of these warnings will be "to educate people, especially children and housewives, about the consequences of smoking, and to counter any deceiving advertisements from tobacco companies".
The sub-decree was created by the Ministry of Health in pursuance of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an agreement ratified by 166 countries including Cambodia.
Lim Thai Pheang, director of the National Centre for Health Promotion, said Friday that the Ministry of Health sub-decree had originally called for anti-smoking photos to be printed on packaging in addition to warning messages, but that the Council of Ministers requested that the warnings be text-only.
He added that he was not sure when the messages would begin being printed on packages, and that further discussions are necessary before the decree can be enacted.
"We must inform tobacco companies before we start to put health warning messages on cigarette packages," he said.
According to a 2004 survey by the National Institute of Statistics at the Ministry of Planning, 54 percent of male Cambodians over 20 years of age are smokers, compared with just 6 percent of women over 20, along with about 10 percent of Cambodians aged 10 to 14.
Under the presidency of Prime Minister Hun Sen, the council released a statement saying that the purpose of these warnings will be "to educate people, especially children and housewives, about the consequences of smoking, and to counter any deceiving advertisements from tobacco companies".
The sub-decree was created by the Ministry of Health in pursuance of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an agreement ratified by 166 countries including Cambodia.
Lim Thai Pheang, director of the National Centre for Health Promotion, said Friday that the Ministry of Health sub-decree had originally called for anti-smoking photos to be printed on packaging in addition to warning messages, but that the Council of Ministers requested that the warnings be text-only.
He added that he was not sure when the messages would begin being printed on packages, and that further discussions are necessary before the decree can be enacted.
"We must inform tobacco companies before we start to put health warning messages on cigarette packages," he said.
According to a 2004 survey by the National Institute of Statistics at the Ministry of Planning, 54 percent of male Cambodians over 20 years of age are smokers, compared with just 6 percent of women over 20, along with about 10 percent of Cambodians aged 10 to 14.
вторник, 11 августа 2009 г.
Duty-free cigarettes costing millions
The Government is missing out on millions of dollars in tax because of cigarettes bought overseas, according to a study of litter by Otago University.
The researchers, from the university's Wellington campus, collected 1310 empty cigarette packets from the streets of four cities and six towns for the study.
They identified 3.2 per cent of the packs as being from outside New Zealand, meaning the Government missed out on at least $36 million in tax on tobacco and GST.
Lead investigator Nick Wilson believed the amount of missing tax was actually much higher, as it was not possible to determine which New Zealand-branded cigarettes had been bought duty-free.
The missed revenue could have been used for quitting campaigns.
"The scale of this revenue loss and the health implications are a strong argument for the Government to consider ending the sale of duty-free tobacco on entry to New Zealand, and to remove any duty-free allowance for incoming passengers, as in Singapore," Dr Wilson said.
"A further possibility is to ban the carrying in of any amount of tobacco altogether."
The researchers, from the university's Wellington campus, collected 1310 empty cigarette packets from the streets of four cities and six towns for the study.
They identified 3.2 per cent of the packs as being from outside New Zealand, meaning the Government missed out on at least $36 million in tax on tobacco and GST.
Lead investigator Nick Wilson believed the amount of missing tax was actually much higher, as it was not possible to determine which New Zealand-branded cigarettes had been bought duty-free.
The missed revenue could have been used for quitting campaigns.
"The scale of this revenue loss and the health implications are a strong argument for the Government to consider ending the sale of duty-free tobacco on entry to New Zealand, and to remove any duty-free allowance for incoming passengers, as in Singapore," Dr Wilson said.
"A further possibility is to ban the carrying in of any amount of tobacco altogether."
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